Televisions future looks hazier than ever, but these shows make a clear case for optimism.
Best of 2022
The best entertainment of the year, as chosen by Vultures critics.
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This was the year Peak TV finally seemed on the verge of toppling.
Jen Chaneys Top 10 Shows
10.Abbott Elementary
10.
This was a big year for television inspired by the familiar.
Tolkien and George R.R.
Martin, and tons of scripted takes on real tales of true crime and high-level con artistry.
9.This Is Going to Hurt
9.
And theres always a legitimate emergency at the hospital.
8.The Last Movie Stars
8.
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofThe Last Movie Starsand Alice Burtonsrecaps of the series.
7.Better Things
7.
(Take that,And Just Like That …!)
In other words: you’ve got the option to still bealive.
Read Jen Chaneysreview of Better Things final season andinterview with creator and star Pamela Adlon.
6.The Bear
6.
To be clear, that is part of what makesThe Bearso exciting to watch.
But the defining elements of this briskly paced dramedy hallelujah for episodes that run for 30 minutes or less!
are its economic, visceral storytelling and interest in giving screen time to characters other than Carmy.
5.Reservation Dogs
5.
4.Barry
4.
It is all these things in season three, too, but works those levers with even greater finesse.
Just like Barry Berkman, this medium is flawed, but it cant be all bad.
Not while shows likeBarrystill exist.
3.Somebody Somewhere
3.
In the 1989 movieSteel Magnolias, Dolly Parton famously says, Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.
One of the many qualities that makeSomebody Somewhereso special is the way it defies stereotypes.
And yes, every episode will make you laugh and cry often at the same time.
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofSomebody Somewhereand Jackson McHenrysinterview with star Bridget Everett.
2.Better Call Saul
2.
Where theBreaking Badfinale gave viewers the definitive ending they wanted,Better Call Sauloffers something more complicated and gray.
It was the conclusion you didnt know you needed and were grateful to have witnessed.
Oh, also, Carol Burnett was in the last season, and she was incredible.
Read Jen Chaneysreview ofBetter Call Sauls series finale andinterview with Rhea Seehornand Scott Tobiassrecaps of season six.
1.Severance
1.
Where is he going?
They want power but dont want to work for it.
Theyve been born into wealth and loathe the poor.
What else do you need?
Read Roxana Hadadisreview ofGirls5Evas second season and Jackson McHenrysinterview with star Renee Elise Goldsberry.
8.Pachinko
Min Jin LeesPachinkofelt unadaptable.
Its divided into thirds and spans 80 years, and its epicnature is dense and sprawling.
How to transform it for a visual medium?
Theyre joyful but melancholy a reminder that well never again be as young as we are today.
No other show this year captured that duality of potential and regret as well asPachinkodid.
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofPachinkoand Nina Li Coomessrecaps of the series.
The discontent there is as memorable as Seyfrieds affected voice as Holmes.
Through both imagination and mimicry,The Dropoutconveyed something very real about how megalomania is born and bred.
The aging makeup could have been better.
The Danny and Jimmy Stevens subplots could have been cut entirely or at least edited down.
The soundtrack remained full of bangers (Black Hole Sun in space?
Nearly every character on this show has tedious conservative politics, and yet I love them all!
Such is the impact ofFor All Mankind!
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofFor All Mankinds third season and Sophie Brookoversrecaps of season three.
Read Jen Chaneysreview ofWe Own This Cityand Scott Tobiassrecaps of the series.
4.Severance
Its not thatSeveranceis introducing an entirely new sci-fi idea.
(Thank you, as always, to Philip K. What does Lumon actually do?
What was up with that congratulatory orgy for the best macrodata refiner?
Never has a company gift with a staff photo on it felt this meaningful.
Now, whether that tomato-sauce planreallymade sense … thats a question for another time.
1.Andor
Because Remember this: Try are the most beautifully written words of the year.
Plus have you seen Diego Lunas cheekbones?
Read Roxana Hadadis review ofAndorandinterview with Tony Gilroyand Jesse Hassengersrecaps of the first season.
Plus beforeThe Bear, Im not sure how I ever made dinner without barking Cousin!
at anyone in the vicinity.
Most prequels are traps for small imagination.
As docuseries have become bigger business for streamers, theyve gotten more boring and indistinguishable from one another.
One Netflix true-crime docuseries is much like another.
Each well-made political-insider docuseries makes roughly the same observations as every other one does.
It couldve been grim beyond palatability or too buoyant to have enough impact.
6.Industry
At a glance,Industrymight be mistaken for a plodding rich-person drama.
Its a puzzle box.
Its about work-life balance and how everyone should unionize their workplaces.
It is so, so good at feeling so, so unnerving.
TheMusic Dance Experiencealone is an all-timer TV scene.
4.Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Viva la episodic-TV revolution!
(Does that track?
I dont speak Spanish.)
EvenAndoris at best uneasy with its own role as a TV series.
It is beautifully made and anchored by a rock-solid performance from Anson Mount as Captain Pike.
It is a freewheeling romp of a show, and every episode is a new adventure.
Its not an easy show.
But second seasons can be when shows run out of steam.
But the second season ofReservation Dogsdug deeper.
No show was funnier this year.
No show was capable of a broader tonal range.
Many of those selections appear above in our top-ten picks.
Still, whatever your viewing schedule ends up being,As We See Itis worth your time.
Roxana Hadadi
Read Roxana Hadadisreview ofAs We See It.
These are difficult conversations, and Bell guides them with intelligence and empathy.
Its humor and emotional range is dialed precisely for the experience of love in the real world.
The only thing wrong withStarstrucks scale is that it is always over too soon.
Kathryn VanArendonk
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofStarstrucks second season and Maggie Fremontsrecaps of both seasons.
At its heart, though,Juliaisnt really about Childs life.
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofJuliaand Alice Burtonsrecaps of the series.
Its a horror show, and its excessive grime isnt easy to wash off.
R.H.
Read Roxana Hadadisreview ofGaslitand Alice Burtonsrecaps of the series.
HBO Max better not renege on that second-season order.
R.H.
Read Roxana HadadisTokyo Vicereviewand Andy Andersonsrecaps of season one.
It istoo much, andUnder the Banner of Heavendoesnt always pull off the balance.
The dread he feels, we do too.
R.H.
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofUnder the Banner of Heavenand Andy Andersensrecaps of the series.
That assumption turned out to be wrong.
J.C.
Read Jen Chaneysreview ofThe Staircase.
If any TV figure ever had the power to make you feel seenthrough the screen, its her.
Marvelhas delivered something new.
R.H.
Read Roxana Hadadisreview ofMs.
Marveland Siddhant Adlakhasrecaps of the series.
At their center were concerns about the future: Who would be elected mayor of Chucalissa?
Who would gain control of the Pynk?
Who would help Keyshawn (Shannon Thornton) escape from her abusive boyfriend?
Would Mercedes (Brandee Evans) get the opportunity to raise her daughter on her own?
Starz hasnt yet announced a third season, but it would be a mistake not to.
Flatbush Misdemeanors
This ones bittersweet, becauseShowtime recently canceledFlatbush Misdemeanorsafter two seasons.
The January 6 attacks were not funny.
But Josh Hawley mad-dashing out of the Capitol after throwing up a fist of solidarity toward the insurrectionists?
J.C.
Would It Kill You To Laugh?
c’mon, Peacock.
Give us at least six episodes!
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofWould It Kill You to Laugh?
In its fourth season,What We Do in the Shadowsattacks the challenge from multiple angles.
Read Katie Rifesrecaps of season four.
R.H.
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofThe Rehearsal,Lila Shapirosprofile of Nathan Fielder,and Emma Healeysrecaps of the series.
Bluey
Blueyisthe best childrens television created within the last 20 years.
This Fool
This Foolis a triumph in inverse impact.
R.H.
Read Kathryn VanArendonksreview ofThis Fooland watch Vulturesinterview with the cast.
Marvel, andMo) felt like a revolutionary turning point.
Netflix has not renewed the series, which makes its cliffhanger ending especially frustrating.
R.H.
Read Roxana Hadadisinterview withMoco-creatorsMo Amer and Ramy Youssef.
The Patient
There is no shortage of television shows about serial killers and people who commit murder.
The main question hanging over the series is whether or not Alan can escape.
Driven by two intense, committed performances from Carell and Gleeson, this is not exactly light viewing.
However, it is extremely compelling television that insists on honest answers rather than easy ones.
J.C.
Read Jen Chaneysreview ofThe Patient.
Its a beautiful series with palpableMy So-Called Lifevibes and, not surprisingly, a kick-ass soundtrack.
Lovecraft stories), and their production design, cinematography, and visual effects are all top-notch and distinct.
No, the installments arent nightmarishly frightening.
R.H.
Dead to Me
It would be wrong to say thatLiz Feldmansseries was neverreallyabout murder.
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